Europe’s most exciting quarry: the mouflon sheep

Getting to know the mouflon

The mouflon, often considered the sheep’s ancestor, migrated to the Mediterranean islands from the Middle East. Now, however, you can hear hunters and nature enthusiasts from all over continental Europe talking about sighting this animal. While it’s not that surprising to spot one in Italy, coming across a mouflon in Sweden might feel just a tad unusual.

“The species was brought to Sweden sometime before WW2 and was mostly mixed with domestic sheep to help with the food limits because of the situation of the world. And because mouflon was not a domestic animal, there were loopholes in the laws to help provide more food to the people.

They were kept in captivity, and then, in the late 1990s to early 2000s, there were animals that escaped, and, obviously, the moufflon started reproducing. We now have five official populations of mouflon scattered throughout southern Sweden.

They are still spreading, and mouflon is not considered an indigenous species and can be hunted all year as an invasive species that’s not part of Swedish fauna. They are herbivores but can survive on almost any vegetation and don’t hurt the indigenous fauna too much.

Mouflons can survive in very harsh climates and terrain and will usually be found in groups except for certain periods of the year where the males will be in groups by themselves,” explains Stefan Orman, a local hunter from Sweden.

Mouflon sheep captured by Night Vision Viking in Sweden through Thermion 2 LRF XP50 Pro.

Despite the fairly relaxed hunting policy, the mouflon isn’t an easy target. “Hunting mouflons is something a bit exclusive and exciting as they are incredibly difficult to hunt. And the meat is very nice with characteristics of a mix of venison and sheep.

I enjoy hunting any species that gives me a challenge. But it’s so much more than that. To me, it’s being a part of nature. Hunting my own food just feels better. Also, wildlife preservation is a huge factor.

To have a healthy wildlife population, it’s important to be selective of what particular animals to shoot and not shoot. By being selective, we can make sure that the area doesn’t get overpopulated and there won’t be too little food or too many illnesses,” shares the Swedish hunter.

For his counterpart from Italy, Riccardo Tamburini, the beginning of mouflon hunting was a little more practical: “I started to hunt mouflon because it is one of the animals we can hunt here in my hunting district. Although it’s an allochthonous species, its presence is tolerated here, and we can hunt them like all the other ungulates, like deers or wild boars.”

Riccardo Tamburini

The intricacies of behavior

While mouflon might be harder to hunt than certain other species, the principles one should apply for its hunt remain the same.

“To be successful, you must have good knowledge about their behavior, what they eat, how they like to seek shelter from the weather, how, when, and where they sleep, mating seasons, and so on. This is important to be able to predict what they will be doing and what tracks they will leave after themselves,” explains Stefan.

If you need specifics, there are two crucial things to know. First, they can move through almost any terrain with ease. Second, Riccardo adds, is their amazing sight: “They have incredibly sharp eyes and can detect every small movement all around them.”

As for the location, you’ll have to put in some effort – it depends on the area a lot and can vary greatly throughout different countries. “In Italy, mouflons can live everywhere: you can find them up in the mountains on the highest rocks in open space and in the woods like deers,” shares Riccardo. However, he also adds that they choose very specific areas and aren’t scattered as much as other species. That, of course, brings its own problems – like inbreeding.

The gear for the best approach

If you read this far, you should already be aware of the fact that mouflon hunting isn’t an easy one. In this case, thermal vision can be particularly useful – although you can rest assured that it won’t do your job for you – not with the mouflon. So, how do you choose the right device?

“A one-hand spotter like Axion 2 XG35 is the best for me during stalk hunting. It allows me to make fewer movements if I spot a herd of moufflon in the woods. If you hunt them from the stand, a bigger device, like Telos XP50 or a Merger LRF XP50, will be the best. I don’t need an extremely powerful device like the Merger LRF XL50 because distances are quite short in the woods, and you can see the animals very close to you, detecting all details even with a mid-price device,” shares Riccardo.

Up north, the situation is a little different. Because of the climate and the terrain, you might need more power, warns Stefan: “Because of legal reasons, we can only use hand-held units for spotting. And that should have a low NETD, good detection range, and a wide FOV. So, the Merger LRF XP50 or XL50 does the job. But for this, I actually prefer the Telos LRF XP50 to detect. Then, I use a normal set of binoculars to determine if it’s the animals I’m looking for.”

Stefan Orman

Once you’ve got your thermals ready, don’t forget your camo – make sure you cover your hands and face, too, so you’re completely unseen.

The remaining gear will also depend on your location and preferences, but here’s what Stefan goes for: “The riflescope will be a long-range design with medium magnification like my Schmidt & Bender 3-20×50 PM II Ultra Short. Svemko Pure L QD or Svemko Magnum 1.0 QD suppressors are the ones I’ll use because of the incredible Db to gram ratio. And as I most often use my Bergara B14 Wilderness HMR Carbon in 300wm noise and recoil reduction is a pleasant thing to have. Bipod-wise, I go for Atlas.”

The approach tactics

Stalk hunting mouflons is perhaps the most popular, partially because of the challenge and the feeling of a great achievement after a successful hunt. But Riccardo notes that for your first outings, you might be better off with a stand: “If you are not skilled in mouflon ID, it’s better to hunt them from the stand near a salt point so you would have more time to select the right animals.”

Stefan also shares that in Sweden, you could also go on a driven hunt with dogs. But here, he and Riccardo agree: stalk hunting in the woods is “more interesting and more rewarding as it’s putting the hunter and the skills to the test more.”

Riccardo Tamburini

Riccardo also notes that your chosen tactic will depend on the animal you’re planning to harvest. “Males lose their caution during rut, but females and calves live in herds, so it’s difficult to approach them in an open space. For this, you need to be a good shooter because often, you will fire a long-distance shot. Then, if you hunt mouflons in the woods, you need to be silent, calm and well-camouflaged. It’s imperative to see animals before they see you.”

Finally, when the pivotal moment comes, you need to have done your homework, as choosing the right animal will depend a lot on the whole population in your area. “It’s extremely important to collect as much information on the population as possible. Maybe there are too many big rams or too few. Then, we can decide what animals we can shoot. All this will then end up in the equation of whether we can afford to shoot a lamb or a ram. Then, we need to know how they affect the insidious species in the same area. There are no easy answers to this. But wildlife preservation is at the heart of it all,” explains Stefan.

Stefan Orman

Even once you do have your numbers and plans, you can’t rush through the selection process. “I need to glass moufflon very, very well. It’s easy to detect young or old females or youngs, but it’s more difficult to understand the mid-age males: I have to study very well the development of the horns through the bino before shooting,” shares Riccardo.

If there is one thing you need to do before going on a mouflon hunt, it’s to get ready for a challenge. Don’t expect it to be a walk in the park – in fact, our hunters advise spending hours studying the species before even considering taking your rifle with you. But once you do go out on your first hunt, you’ll feel like your effort has paid off – everyone who has ever hunted the wild sheep agrees that it hardly compares to anything else.

Hunting mouflons is something a bit exclusive and exciting as they are incredibly difficult to hunt. And the meat is very nice with characteristics of a mix of venison and sheep.

Stefan Orman

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